Current wireless phone technology provides for smartphones and feature phones. Smartphones usually include a large display, data connectivity (in addition to voice connectivity), and an advanced processor that is operable to execute applications. Many smartphones provide robust capabilities. For instance, 4G smartphones provide Internet connectivity with relatively fast upload and download speeds and usually offer a wide variety of Internet-connected applications that provide utility and entertainment. Feature phones, by contrast, offer basic features and are centered on voice connectivity rather than data connectivity. Some feature phones provide Internet connectivity with a browser. However, the browser may not provide the same features as applications available with a smart phone, and typing may be difficult using keypads of a feature phone. Additional data capabilities offered by feature phones may include Short Message Service (SMS) messaging and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) messaging.
While smartphones are quite common in the developed world, feature phones tend to predominate in developing economies. Furthermore, some mobile services carriers, mostly in developing economies, have begun to use USSD messaging to provide payment by users of feature phones. In one example, a user of a feature phone “tops up” his or her minutes on the feature phone by providing cash to a vendor at a physical location and then entering data associated with the transaction using a USSD session with a mobile carrier. Thus, USSD can be used in very basic monetary transactions.
PAYPAL®, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., USA, currently provides methods for online payments and money transfers. In fact, PAYPAL® provides a cloud-based wallet to its users with very robust and sophisticated abilities. The cloud-based wallet allows for electronic transactions using any of a number of payment methods (e.g., credit cards, bank accounts, etc.) to any registered payee or from any registered payer. However to use these services, a user must first create an account with the service or payment provider.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, wherein showings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the present disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.